Non-real time services

ABSTRACT

In certain embodiments, a digital television receiver method for receiving non-real time (NRT) program content involves receiving a transport stream containing an Internet Protocol (IP) stream of packets containing non-real time program content, NRT service metadata and NRT content metadata; a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the IP stream of packets to produce: NRT program content, NRT service metadata, and NRT content metadata; an NRT metadata parser that produces NRT service metadata and NRT content metadata; and where the NRT service metadata contains an indication whether or not a particular NRT service is to be offered on a subscription basis. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/584,171 to Mark Eyer filed Sep. 1, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,099,752which is further related to and claims priority benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Applications 61/200,767 filed Dec. 3, 2008,61/200,981 filed Dec. 5, 2008, 61/206,049 filed Jan. 26, 2009 and61/161,941 filed Mar. 20, 2009, all to Mark Eyer, and each of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference. Mark Eyer is also the author ofa text entitled “PSIP: Program & System Information Protocol”, 2003, TheMcGraw Hill Companies, Inc. and terms, acronyms, etc. relating to PSIPand associated technologies used herein are consistent with their use inthis text. The APPENDIX hereto forms a part of this specification and ishereby incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Officepatent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rightswhatsoever. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments consistent with this invention pertain to non-real-time(NRT) video services for Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)compliant digital terrestrial broadcasting. An NRT video service is onein which the audio/video content is streamed from the broadcaster toreceiving devices at a slower rate or a faster rate (or a combinationthereof) than real-time rate. Receiving devices utilize local storage tocapture the streaming files so they can be made available to viewersupon arrival of a complete file, or playback can begin prior to completedownload of the entire file.

NRT video services are presently available in a number of forms. Forexample, TiVo™ supports these today on the TiVo HD and TiVo Series 3Personal Video Recorders using proprietary technology using the Internetas a distribution channel. However, there currently exists no standardway to implement these services for ATSC terrestrial broadcasts forplayback on fixed television installations where Internet access is notavailable. Furthermore, the metadata associated with NRT services,including lists of available content and their descriptions would needto accompany the terrestrial broadcast even if the Internet could beused by the receiver to actually retrieve the files.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain illustrative embodiments illustrating organization and method ofoperation, together with objects and advantages may be best understoodby reference detailed description that follows taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1, is a diagram depicting delivery of IP packets via broadcast TVin a manner consistent with certain embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example NRT Information Table and itsinteraction with other tables in a manner consistent with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example block diagram of a digital television receiver withNRT reception capabilities consistent with certain embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is an example diagram of the table parsing used in a mannerconsistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible to embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail specific embodiments, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as an example of theprinciples and not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiments shown and described. In the description below, likereference numerals are used to describe the same, similar orcorresponding parts in the several views of the drawings.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or morethan two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least asecond or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein,are defined as comprising (i.e., open ended language). The term“coupled”, as used herein, is defined as connected, although notnecessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term“program” or “computer program” or similar terms, as used herein, isdefined as a sequence of instructions designed for execution on acomputer system. A “program”, or “computer program”, may include asubroutine, a function, a procedure, an object method, an objectimplementation, in an executable application, an applet, a servlet, asource code, an object code, a shared library/dynamic load libraryand/or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on acomputer system. The term “processor”, “controller”, “CPU”, “Computer”and the like as used herein encompasses both hard programmed, specialpurpose, general purpose and programmable devices and may encompass aplurality of such devices or a single device in either a distributed orcentralized configuration without limitation.

The term “program”, as used herein, may also be used in a second context(the above definition being for the first context). In the secondcontext, the term is used in the sense of a “television program”. Inthis context, the term is used to mean any coherent sequence of audiovideo content such as those which would be interpreted as and reportedin an electronic program guide (EPG) as a single television program,without regard for whether the content is a movie, sporting event,segment of a multi-part series, news broadcast, etc. The term may alsobe interpreted to encompass commercial spots and other program-likecontent which may not be reported as a program in an electronic programguide.

Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certainembodiments”, “an embodiment”, “an example”, “an implementation” orsimilar terms means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment, example orimplementation is included in at least one embodiment, example orimplementation of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of suchphrases or in various places throughout this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment, example orimplementation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments, examples or implementations without limitation.

The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive ormeaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means “any ofthe following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. Anexception to this definition will occur only when a combination ofelements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutuallyexclusive. Other terms used herein are consistent with their use in ATSCspecifications and/or the above-referenced text by Mark Eyer unlessotherwise defined or modified herein.

As previously noted, an NRT video service is one in which theaudio/video content is streamed from the broadcaster to receivingdevices at a slower rate or a faster rate (or a combination thereof)than real-time rate. Such services do not currently exist in astandardized format. Receiving devices utilize local storage to capturethe streaming files so they can be made available to viewers uponarrival.

ATSC compliant digital television (DTV) broadcasts deliver 19.39 Mbps.transport streams which generally are not fully utilized every moment ofthe day. The excess capacity in these transport streams could beutilized for transporting NRT services. In some cases, the data may besent in large bursts that are faster than real time, while in otherinstances, the data may be sent in smaller bursts or streams that areslower than real time. In either event, the content can be buffered tobulk storage in receivers for later presentation to a consumer.Generally, the present discussion enables the delivery and consumptionof various types of NRT content. Some usage/consumption models that areenvisioned include but are not limited to:

-   -   Browse and Download—the user is offered a list of content titles        available for download; he or she may browse through these and        select content items of interest. The files are automatically        fetched when available by the receiver and stored for the user        to view at a later time.    -   Push—a user subscribes to a “push” service which captures        certain content that is generally frequently updated (e.g.,        stock prices, weather reports, sports scores, etc.). The        receiver automatically fetches updates of the information; the        service appears to “push” the updated information to the user.    -   Portal—a TV channel appears in the form of a web site that can        be navigated by the user. Links on the TV channel generally lead        to locally stored content that is either in random access memory        (RAM) or persistent bulk storage.

In certain embodiments, a new ATSC Service Type for “NRT” is defined.The use of a new Service Type allows NRT services to be introduced intothe digital broadcast television system in such a way that legacyreceivers are unaffected—they disregard virtual channels with unknownService Type values. While the Terrestrial Virtual Channel Table definesthe service to be, in general, “Non-Real-Time,” the specificusage/consumption model for the NRT files is given in the ServiceCategory field in the Service Map Table (SMT). In the future, morecomplex features and capabilities could be enabled by NRT methods, liketargeted advertising, downloaded games, and the like. These services, ifthey were to be offered, would preferably employ different values ofService Category.

FIG. 1 depicts one mechanism through which broadcast television isutilized to implement IP multicast over an ATSC delivery transport inaccord with ATSC standard A/92. In this figure, a Terrestrial VirtualChannel Table (TVCT per ATSC A/65) 2 provides information regarding eachchannel and includes a service type identifier of 8 (in this example)that defines the service as a NRT service that is delivered via IPpackets. This table further provides TSID information and a programnumber that points to information in a Program Association Table (PAT)4, which in turn points to a program map table (PMT) 6 via a program mapPID (Packet Identifier). The PID is used to associate with a DigitalStorage Media Command and Control (DSMCC) table 8 which essentiallyequates the content associated with the PID to an IP subnet to identifya data stream corresponding to the NRT data sought.

In accord with certain implementations consistent with the presentinvention, a standard method is provided to define a new table which isreferred to herein as the NRT-IT (NRT Information Table). The NRT-ITtable has unique structure and function which facilitates its use inorganizing the metadata it conveys.

In addition, the NRT-IT table introduces several other novel metadataitems relevant to the non-real-time application:

-   -   a parameter called Playback Delay, which indicates the amount of        time from the recovery of the first byte of the file the        receiver must wait prior to beginning playback of the content;    -   a method to indicate that a given piece of NRT content is        available also via Internet transport, and an indication of the        Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that can be used to retrieve it;    -   a flag indicating whether or not the NRT file can be extracted        from the broadcast stream with low-latency (while the user        waits), or whether the receiver should prompt the user to return        to view it at a later time (long latency). This latency may be        established according to a threshold that separates longer from        lower and may be determined by the broadcaster; and    -   a method to identify an graphical icon representation of the NRT        service or content item.

NRT content within the broadcast stream may be delivered in adiscontinuous, non-uniform way, such that the rate of packets may bevariable over time. A long movie file, for example, may be delivered at50% of real-time speed for the first half of the file, and one-quarterreal-time for the remainder. In this case, if a receiver were toextrapolate and guess that playback could commence when half the filehad been buffered, playback would be interrupted because the slower ratein the second portion would cause buffer under-run. The Playback Delayparameter allows the receiver to avoid guessing by letting thebroadcaster indicate when playback may safely start without causing thebuffer to become empty during playback (assuming fast-forwarding doesnot occur).

In some prior NRT implementations (such as OMA BCAST—Open MobileAlliance Broadcast), a Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) was associatedwith NRT content items, but receivers could not determine whether agiven URI was also a URL (such that the content was also being madeavailable via a server on the Internet). In a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, the NRT-IT may associate a URL with content itemsthat optionally may be retrieved by the Internet.

A data structure is defined which is referred to herein as a InternetLocation Descriptor (ILD), which can be associated with one or morefiles carried in the broadcast multiplex to point to content that may beretrieved via the Internet, for the benefit of receivers that haveInternet access. The ILD may appear in the NRT-IT, where it indicatesthe physical location of the file or files comprising the particularitem of content available for download. The ILD may also be used withinthe PSIP Virtual Channel Table. In this location, the ILD points tomultimedia content descriptive of the channel itself. Such content couldinclude channel logo, HTML-formatted pages, etc.

This approach provides an efficient method to represent and transportthe metadata used to describe NRT video services in a way that iscompatible and complementary to existing practice in ATSC DTVtransmission standards.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a methodoriginally defined for Internet Protocol (IP) transport over theInternet called “FLUTE” is employed. FLUTE, or “file delivery overunidirectional transport” is specified in RFC-3926. FLUTE builds onanother IP-based transport method called Asynchronous Layered Coding, abase protocol that was designed for efficient distribution viaIP-multicast methods. FLUTE defines a File Delivery Table (EDT)containing characteristics of one or more files contained in a“session.” The files delivered in a FLUTE session may be considered tobe carried in a “carousel,” as the sequence of bytes comprising eachfile typically repeat cyclically.

As defined herein, the NRT-IT table has several attributes thatdistinguish it from an ATSC Data Event Table (DET) which is used indelivery of multicast sessions for ATSC Broadcasts. By way of example,some of the differences are:

-   -   NRT-IT gives first and last availability times for the content,        where the DET gives “start time” and “length,” highlighting the        fact that in the DET only real-time monitoring and use of the        data stream was contemplated.    -   NRT-IT gives playback time for stored content (the amount of        time it takes to play the complete file); this concept does not        appear in any of the ATSC data broadcast standards.    -   NRT-IT provides (via associated Internet Location        Descriptor—(previously referred to as Content Location        Descriptor in one or more of the above provisional        applications)) the location of one or more audio/video or other        content files within a transmitted FLUTE session.    -   NRT-IT provides the storage requirements for downloaded content;        DET does not.

The structure (syntax and semantics) of the NRT-IT is described below.This structure includes:

-   a) Extensions to existing methods for announcement of linear    broadcast television programming services to support non-real-time    delivery. Existing methods are based on the use of ATSC A/65 PSIP.    The extension defined here involves definition of one new table, the    NRT-IT (Non-Real Time Information Table), and definition of new ATSC    “Service Types.”-   b) The existing standard ATSC descriptor mechanism is utilized, and    already standardized ATSC descriptors including the Caption Services    Descriptor, Content Advisory Descriptor, Genre Descriptor, and ATSC    and ISO Content Identifier Descriptor are retained.-   c) With the use of Content Identifier Descriptors in both the NRT-IT    and EIT, a user can easily search for NRT content associated with    any given live (real time) event advertised in the EIT. Using this    method, past episodes of the show currently being watched can be    scheduled for NRT download.

As mentioned, each defined Virtual Channel is associated with a ServiceType. Typical Service Types are “ATSC Digital Television,” “Audio-OnlyService,” and “Software Download.” The definition of the NRT ServiceType embodies:

-   a. The fact that the Virtual Channel is a gateway to one or more NRT    services, in which the user is offered a number of content items    available for immediate or later download.-   b. Each content item is described by a content title, a descriptive    sentence or paragraph, and other metadata (such as content advisory,    the availability of closed captioning, optionally a JPEG image for    on-screen representation of the content item, etc.).-   c. A defined set of audio/video codecs, transport encodings and    bindings; if the receiver supports this set, all NRT content    associated with this service will be renderable.-   d. Each Virtual Channel of Service Type “NRT” has a pointer to a set    of entries in a Service Map Table (SMT). Each NRT service in the SMT    is associated with entries in an NRT Information Table (NRT-IT),    each instance of which describes a set of content items the    broadcaster has scheduled to be available for download.

The definition of the syntax and semantics of the NRT-IT can take manyforms, but in one example, the syntax and semantics are provided in theAPPENDIX hereto. The APPENDIX, at several locations, uses the term TBDto mean To Be Determined TBD values are a matter of choice which can bereadily made by one skilled in the art upon consideration of the presentteachings to provide standardization and can be selected to avoidconflicts.

Turning now to FIG. 2, an example NRT-IT is depicted as 10. The NRT-ITis linked to the SMT-MH table 12 by the service ID (e.g., SID 1). TheSMT-MH table 12 is linked to a FLUTE File Delivery Table (FDT) 14 viathe destination IP address and port number and Transport SessionIndicator (TSI) value. Content identifier fields in the NRT-IT 10reference files in the FLUTE FDT 14. One content identifier reference inthe NRT-IT may reference one or more files in the FDT. A differentcontent identifier, in the SMT 12, may be present to reference a file inthe FDT containing a graphical icon that can be used to represent theservice.

The FLUTE FDT is an IP packet-based directory of files that includes acontent identifier that identifies content present in IP packetselsewhere in the IP packet stream. The content identifier also may linkto an analogous field in a Text Fragment Table TFT 16 (formerly referredto as the extended text table in one or more of the above provisionalapplications) that provides textual metadata associated with thecontent. Thus, the files that represent NRT content and associatedmetadata is packaged as IP packets that are embedded within thebroadcaster's data, for example, as a stream that is encapsulated withinthe 188-byte MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) packets most commonly used fortelevision broadcasts.

In conventional PSIP, various service types are defined in the virtualchannel table. For example, DTV signals are service type 2 and softwaredownloads are defined as service type 5. In accord with embodimentsconsistent with the present invention, an NRT service type is defined asa new service type (e.g., service type 8). Hence, when the virtualchannel table indicates that a service type 8 is present, the receivercan expect and look for receipt of an NRT-IT. The NRT-IT thereforedefines the various parameters that might be used or needed to processand present the NRT content and the associated metadata to the viewer.It is noted that one service ID in the SMT can point to multiple itemsof NRT content which have varying parameters. The content information inthe NRT-IT can define more stringent requirements to consume the contentthan that generally defined in the SMT. By way of example, the SMT mayspecify the support of a particular codec is required in the receiver tooffer a meaningful presentation of the service, but the contentdefinition in the NRT-IT may specify a codec with different and morestringent requirements.

The NRT-IT may contain multiple table elements including, but notlimited to, content name, content ID, Distribution start/end times,playback length, content length (in terms of storage required), contenttypes (codecs), language or languages, audio information, videoinformation, caption service information, content advisories, genre,service information, optional encryption keys, and may contain a contentURL where the content can be immediately retrieved rather than awaitingthe next instance of a broadcast. The attached APPENDIX provides adetailed example of an implementation specification for implementing theNRT Information Table and defines its associated elements. This shouldform a part of a system specification for NRT services such as an NRTspecification as is at the time of this writing being drafted by theATSC.

FIG. 3 depicts a simplified TV receiver system 20 that is devised toreceive both real time television broadcasts and NRT content. In thissystem a modulated RF input signal is received, tuned and demodulated ata tuner 24 to produce an ATSC output transport stream (as modified byincorporation of the NRT content as described herein). The transportstream is conventionally a bit stream flowing at a rate of 19.39 Mbpsthat may carry a plurality of channels of content including NRT contentin 188-byte MPEG-2 compliant Transport Stream packets. This TransportStream is demultiplexed at the demultiplexer 28 to produceprogram-specific information (PSI) tables (per ISO/IEC 13818-1) and PSIPtables (per ATSC A/65 PSIP) and a DSM-CC packet stream to CPU 32. Forthe case of conventional real time (linear) TV content, audio and videopackets are supplied to an A/V decoder 36 for decoding. The decodedaudio is supplied to an audio sub-system (not shown) that reproduces theaudio and the video is supplied to a compositor 40 which supplies thevideo output to the TV's video display circuits (also not shown).

In the alternative, content can be received as a stream of IP packetsfrom the Internet at an IP demultiplexer 42 such that they are passeddirectly to CPU 32 for processing.

Depending upon the mode of operation of the display, the CPU 32, whichoperates in conjunction with application and operating system memory inROM or Flash memory 44, and RAM 46 for example to supply text orgraphics (e.g., as in a graphical user interface [GUI]) as generated bya graphics subsystem 50 that operates using graphics memory RAM 54 toproduce graphics as overlays or the like to compositor 40. Compositor 40combines the graphics if present with the decoded video as its videooutput.

For NRT files and metadata received in the transport stream, this datais routed via the CPU to RAM 46 and the content and metadata can bestored to bulk storage such as a disc drive 58. When the CPU 32instructs the system to play a selection of NRT content, the NRT filesare demultiplexed from their file wrapper (e.g., an MP4 A/V wrapper) at60 to provide audio and video packets established according to a filtercriteria to the A/V decoder 36 for ultimate presentation to theconsumer.

Referring to 64 of FIG. 4, in order to provide the functionality foraccess, download and playback of the NRT data and content, processor 32the IP packets received via the transport stream for support of NRTcontent is demultiplexed in an IP packet demultiplexing operation 68 tofirst separate the stream into the FLUTE file description table, the NRTfile content and service and signaling information. The NRT file contentis stored to the bulk storage 58 and the FLUTE file description table isprocessed by a FLUTE description table parser 72 to produce NRT filemetadata. The service signaling channel data is processed by an NRT dataparser 76 that separates the NRT metadata into 1) service map table(SMT) data that is parsed at a SMT parser 80 to produce NRT servicemetadata; 2) text fragment table data (TFT) that is parsed at TFT parser84 into NRT content descriptive text; and 3) NRT-IT data that is parsedat NRT-IT parser 88 into NRT content metadata. The output of parsers 72,80, 84 and 88 can be stored either in local RAM or Flash memory or bulkstorage 58 or any combination thereof (or using any other storagemechanism). Generally, bulk storage is reserved for larger files or foradditional storage when other memory is at a premium.

Many variations of the above will occur to those skilled in the art uponconsideration of the present teachings. The application used by areceiver is easily devised upon consideration of the present teachings,and can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, allowing manufacturersgreat latitude in product differentiation while providing for NRTservices consistent with a standard delivery arrangement.

Thus, in certain embodiments, a digital television receiver thatreceives non-real time (NRT) content has an IP demultiplexer (Demux) ora radio frequency tuner that receives a transport stream. The outputtransport stream contains an IP packet stream containing NRT content, aFLUTE file description table (FDT) and NRT metadata. An electronicstorage medium is provided and a demultiplexer demultiplexes the IPstream of packets to produce: NRT content that is stored in theelectronic storage medium, the FLUTE FDT, and NRT metadata. An FDTparser parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadata from the FLUTE FDT.An NRT metadata parser produces NRT service metadata, NRT contentdescription text and NRT content metadata.

In certain implementations, a digital television receiver that receivesnon-real time (NRT) content has a radio frequency tuner that receives aradio frequency modulated channel containing a transport stream over atuned channel and demodulates the channel to produce an output transportstream. The output transport stream contains an Internet Protocol (IP)stream of packets containing non-real time content, a FLUTE filedescription table (FDT) and NRT metadata. An electronic storage mediumis provided. A demultiplexer demultiplexes the IP stream of packets toproduce: NRT content that is stored in the electronic storage medium,the FLUTE FDT, and NRT metadata. An FDT parser parses the FDT to produceNRT file metadata from the FLUTE FDT. An NRT metadata parser producesNRT service metadata; NRT content description text and NRT contentmetadata.

In certain implementations, a service signaling channel contains the NRTmetadata. In certain implementations, the NRT service metadata isreceived in a Service Map Table. In certain implementations, the NRTcontent description text is received in a Text Fragment Table (TFT). Incertain implementations, the NRT content metadata is stored in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT). In certain implementations, the outputtransport stream further comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), andwherein the VCT contains a service type code indicative of a virtualchannel corresponding to NRT content. In certain implementations, theNRT service metadata is stored in a Service Map Table (SMT), the NRTcontent description text is stored in a Text Fragment Table (TFT), theNRT content metadata is stored in an NRT information table (NRT-IT), andwherein the output transport stream further comprises a virtual channeltable (VCT), and wherein the VCT contains a service type code indicativeof a virtual channel corresponding to NRT content. In certainimplementations, the SMT signals an IP destination address and Portnumber that points to the FLUTE FDT, and wherein the SMT has a serviceID (SID) that indexes a table entry pointing at a matching service ID inthe NRT-IT. In certain implementations, the NRT-IT table has a contentID that indexes table entries in the FLUTE FDT. In certainimplementations, the NRT-IT table further includes entries in the TFT.In certain implementations, the NRT-IT table includes a Playback Delayparameter that indicates an amount of time from the recovery of thefirst byte of the file the receiver should wait prior to beginningplayback of the content. In certain implementations, the NRT-IT tableincludes a flag indicating whether or not the NRT file can be extractedfrom the broadcast stream with lower-latency or whether the receivershould prompt the user to return to view it at a later time due tolonger latency, wherein lower and longer are measured with respect toone another. In certain implementations, the NRT-IT table points to atable that points to a graphical icon representation of the NRT serviceor content item. In certain implementations, the NRT service metadata isstored in a Service Map Table. In certain implementations, the NRTcontent description text is stored in a Text Fragment Table (TFT). Incertain implementations, the content metadata comprises an indicationthat the identified content may be retrieved from an Internet-basedserver, and a Uniform Reference Locator (URL) that may be used to effectsaid retrieval.

In another implementation, a digital television receiver that receivesnon-real time (NRT) content has an Internet protocol (IP) receiver thatreceives a stream of IP packets and selects an IP subnet containing apacket stream selected as an output packet stream. The output packetstream contains non-real time content, a FLUTE file description table(FDT) and NRT metadata. An electronic storage medium is provided. Ademultiplexer demultiplexes the IP packet stream to produce: NRT contentthat is stored in the electronic storage medium, the FLUTE FDT, and NRTmetadata. An FDT parser parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadata fromthe FLUTE FDT. An NRT metadata parser produces NRT service metadata andNRT content metadata.

In certain implementations, a Service Signaling Channel (SSC) containsthe NRT metadata. In certain implementations, the NRT service metadatais received in a Service Map Table. In certain implementations, the NRTcontent description text is received in a Text Fragment Table (TFT). Incertain implementations, the NRT content metadata is received in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT). In certain implementations, the outputtransport stream further comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), andwherein the VCT contains a service type code indicative of a virtualchannel corresponding to NRT content. In certain implementations, theNRT service metadata is received in a Service Map Table (SMT), the NRTcontent description text is received in a Text Fragment Table (TFT), theNRT content metadata is received in an NRT information table (NRT-IT),and wherein the output transport stream further comprises a virtualchannel table (VCT), and wherein the VCT contains a service type codeindicative of a virtual channel corresponding to NRT content. In certainimplementations, the SMT has an IP destination address and Port numberthat points to the FLUTE FDT, and wherein the SMT has a service ID (SID)that indexes a table entry pointing at a service ID in the NRT-IT. Incertain implementations, the NRT-IT table has a content ID that indexestable entries in the FLUTE FDT. In certain implementations, the NRT-ITtable has a content ID that indexes table entries in the FLUTE FDT. Incertain implementations, the NRT-IT table further includes entries inthe TFT. In certain implementations, the NRT-IT table includes aPlayback Delay parameter that indicates an amount of time from therecovery of the first byte of the file the receiver should wait prior tobeginning playback of the content. In certain implementations, theNRT-IT table includes a flag indicating whether or not the NRT file canbe extracted from the broadcast stream with lower-latency or whether thereceiver should prompt the user to return to view it at a later time dueto longer latency, wherein lower and longer are measured with respect toone another. In certain implementations, the NRT-IT table points to atable that points to a graphical icon representation of the NRT serviceor content item. In certain implementations, the NRT service metadata isstored in a Service Map Table. In certain implementations, the NRTcontent description text is stored in a Text Fragment Table (TFT). Incertain implementations, the content metadata comprises an indicationthat the identified content may be retrieved from an Internet-basedserver, and a Uniform Reference Locator (URL) that may be used to effectsaid retrieval.

Another digital television receiver that receives non-real time (NRT)content has a receiver device that receives a signal and produces anoutput transport stream, the output transport stream containing anInternet Protocol (IP) stream of packets containing non-real timecontent, a FLUTE file description table (FDT) and NRT metadata. Anelectronic storage medium is provided. A demultiplexer demultiplexes theIP stream of packets to produce: NRT content that is stored in theelectronic storage medium, the FLUTE FDT, and NRT metadata. An FDTparser parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadata from the FLUTE FDT.An NRT metadata parser produces NRT service metadata; NRT contentdescription text and NRT Content Metadata.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, upon consideration of the aboveteachings, that certain exemplary embodiments may be based upon use of aprogrammed processor. However, the invention is not limited to suchexemplary embodiments, since other embodiments could be implementedusing hardware component equivalents such as special purpose hardwareand/or dedicated processors. Similarly, general purpose computers,microprocessor based computers, micro-controllers, optical computers,analog computers, dedicated processors, application specific circuitsand/or dedicated hard wired logic may be used to construct alternativeequivalent embodiments.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate, upon consideration of theabove teachings, that the program operations and processes andassociated data used to implement certain of the embodiments describedabove can be implemented using disc storage as well as other forms ofstorage such as for example Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, RandomAccess Memory (RAM) devices, network memory devices, optical storageelements, magnetic storage elements, magneto-optical storage elements,flash memory, core memory and/or other equivalent volatile andnon-volatile storage technologies without departing from certainembodiments of the present invention. Such alternative storage devicesshould be considered equivalents.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described, it isevident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations andvariations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light ofthe foregoing description.

Appendix-Sample Specification Format

1.1 Non-Real-Time Information Table (NRT-IT)

The Non-Real-Time Information Table (NRT-IT) contains informationdescribing content available for download to storage in the receivingdevice. The information provided in the NRT-IT includes the title of thecontent (for example, the name of the program available for download),the times during which the content is to be made available for download,and information such as content advisories, availability of captionservices, content identification, and other metadata.

One item of content may consist of one or more files. For example, anaudio/video clip may come with a JPEG thumbnail image that can be usedto represent it in on-screen displays.

The NRT-IT shall be used to provide information for virtual channels ofservice_type values 0x08 defined above.

Unlike the EIT in which each instance corresponds to a 3-hour time slot,an instance of the NRT-IT can include data corresponding to anarbitrarily defined time period, or can describe NRT content starting ata specified time and into the indefinite future. Each NRT-IT instanceindicates the start time of the period it covers and the length of theperiod it covers (which may be indefinite).

Each NRT-IT instance may be segmented into as many as 256 sections. Onesection may contain information for multiple content items, but theinformation for any given content item shall not be segmented and putinto two or more sections.

Any content item to be made available for download for a time intervalthat extends beyond the time period covered one or more NRT-IT instancesshall be described only in the first of these NRT-ITs.

Content item descriptions shall be placed within theNRT_information_table_section( ) in the order of their firstavailability. Therefore, when last_section_number is greater than zero(meaning the NRT-IT is delivered in multiple sections), for sectionsother than the first (sections for which the value of section_number isgreater than zero), all the content item descriptions within a givensection shall have first availability times that are greater than orequal to all first availability times of content item descriptions inthe immediately preceding section (the section whose value ofsection_number is one lower than the given section). The contents of thefields and the descriptors in each events descriptor loop shall beaccurate representations of the known information about each contentitem at the time the content item instance is created and shall beupdated if more accurate information becomes available.

The Non-Real-Time Information Table is carried in table sections withtable_id 0xTBD. The following constraints apply to the IP packetscarrying the NRT-IT sections:

-   -   The destination IP address shall be the ATSC Service Signaling        Channel, 224.0.23.60. The port number shall be 4937.

The following constraints shall apply to the NRT-IT:

-   -   Each NRT-IT shall identify NRT services associated with the        given value of service_id available on a particular virtual        channel sometime during the time period it covers.

The NRT_information_table_section( ) is modeled after theMH_service_signaling_table_section( ) defined in A/153 Part 3, Sec. 7.1.Unless otherwise defined below, identically-named fields in theNRT_information_table_section( ) shall be as defined as in theMH_service_signaling_table_section( ) in A/153 Part 3, Sec. 7.1. The bitstream syntax for the Non-Real-Time Information Table shall be as shownin Table 1.

TABLE 1 Bit Stream Syntax for the Non-Real-Time Information Table SyntaxNo. Bits Format NRT_information_table_section( ) {  table_id 8 0xTBD section_syntax_indicator 1 ‘1’  private_indicator 1 ‘1’  Reserved 2‘11’  section_length 12 uimsbf  service_id 16 uimsbf  Reserved 2 ‘11’ NRT_IT_version_number 5 uimsbf  current_next_indicator 1 ‘1’ section_number 8 uimsbf  last_section_number 8 uimsbf  protocol_version8 uimsbf  time_span_start 32 uimsbf  Reserved 5 ‘11111’ time_span_length 11 uimsbf  num_items_in_section 8 uimsbf  for (j=0; j<num_items_in_section; j++) {   content_id 16 uimsbf   updates_available1 bslbf   TF_available 1 bslbf   low_latency 1 bslbf  content_length_included 1 bslbf   playback_length_in_seconds 20 uimsbf  if (content_length_included==1) {    content_length 40 uimsbf   }  playback_delay_included 1 bslbf   expiration_included 1 bslbf  Reserved 2 ‘11’   Duration 12 uimsbf   if (playback_delay_included==1){    Reserved 4 ‘1111’    playback_delay 20 uimsbf   }   if(expiration_included==1) {    Expiration 32 uimsbf   }  content_name_length 8 uimsbf   content_name_text( ) var   Reserved 4‘1111’   content_descriptors_length 12 Uimsbf   for (i=0; i<N; i++) {   content_descriptor( )   }  }  Reserved 6 ‘111111’  descriptors_length10 Uimsbf  for (i=0; i<M; i++) {   descriptor( )  } }

-   table_id—This 8-bit field shall be set to 0xTBD to identify this    table section as belonging to the Non-Real-Time Information Table.-   service_id—This 16-bit field shall specify the service_id associated    with the NRT service offering content items described in this    section.-   NRT_IT_version_number—This 5-bit field shall indicate the version    number of this NRT-IT instance, where NRT-IT instance is defined as    the set of one or more NRT_information_table_section( ) having    common values for service_id, current_next_indicator,    protocol_version, and time_span_start. The version number shall be    incremented by 1 modulo 32 when any field in the NRT-IT instance    changes.-   current_next_indicator—This 1-bit indicator shall always be set to    ‘1’ for NRT-IT sections; the NRT-IT sent is always currently    applicable.-   protocol_version—This 8-bit unsigned integer field shall be set to    zero. The function of protocol_version is to allow, in the future,    this table type to carry parameters that may be structured    differently than those defined in the current protocol. At present,    the only valid value for protocol_version is zero. Non-zero values    of protocol_version may be used by a future version of this standard    to indicate structurally different tables.-   time_span_start—This 32-bit unsigned integer shall represent the    start of the time span covered by this instance of the NRT-IT,    expressed as the number of GPS seconds since 00:00:00 UTC, Jan.    6, 1980. The time of day of time_span_start shall be aligned to    minute 00 of the hour. The value zero for time_span_start shall    indicate the time period covered by his NRT-IT instance began in the    indefinite past. The value of time_span_start shall be the same for    each section of a multi-sectioned NRT-IT instance. The values of    time_span_start and time_span_length shall be set such that the    specified time span does not overlap with any other NRT-IT instance    in this IP subnet.-   time_span_length—This 11-bit unsigned integer field in the range 0    to 1440 shall indicate the number of minutes, starting at the time    indicated by time_span_start, covered by this instance of the    NRT-IT. Once established, the value of time_span_length for a given    value of time_span_start shall not change. A value of    time_span_length of zero shall mean this NRT-IT instance covers all    time starting at time_span_start into the indefinite future. If the    value of time_span_start is zero, time_span_length shall have no    meaning. The value of time_span_length shall be the same for each    section of a multi-sectioned NRT-IT instance. The values of    time_span_start and time_span length shall be set such that the    specified time span does not overlap with any other NRT-IT instance    in this IP subnet.-   num_items_in_section—This 8-bit unsigned integer field shall    indicate the number of content items described in this NRT-IT    section.-   content_id—This 16-bit unsigned integer field in the range 0x0001 to    0xFFFF shall specify the identification number of the content    described. Value 0x0000 shall not be used. The content_id performs    two linkage functions: it links metadata in the NRT-IT to one or    more files in the FLUTE FDT associated with this NRT service; it    also forms the TF_id (identifier for Text Fragment in Text Fragment    Table). The value of the content_id field shall correspond to the    value of one of the Content-Linkage element instances in the File    element in the File Description Table instance defined in RFC 3926    as extended in Sec 1.5 for each file which is part of the content    item. For a particular virtual channel, the value of content_id    shall uniquely identify each of the items of content scheduled to be    available for download during the interval covered by a given NRT-IT    instance. (Note: the scope can be expanded to extend to all    scheduled content.)-   updates_available—This Boolean flag shall specify, when set to ‘1,’    that the referenced content item(s) will be updated periodically:    for content items delivered in FLUTE sessions, receiving devices are    expected to monitor for changes the TOI associated with each file    associated with the given value of content_id. When the    updates_available flag is set to ‘0’, updates are not expected to be    provided for the associated content item(s), and receivers are not    expected to look for them.-   TF_available—This Boolean flag shall specify, when set to ‘1’ that a    Text Fragment is present in a Text Fragment Table in the service    signaling channel. When the flag is set to ‘0,’ no Text Fragment is    included in the service signaling channel for this content item.-   low_latency—This Boolean flag shall specify, when set to ‘1,’ that    the content is available within the current digital transport with a    low enough latency that its retrieval should be attempted while the    user waits. When the flag is set to ‘0,’ retrieval latency is longer    and the user interface should suggest to the user to return later    for viewing.-   content_length_included—This Boolean flag shall indicate, when set    to ‘1,’ that the content_length field is present in this iteration    of the “for” loop. Setting this flag to ‘0’ shall indicate the    content_length field is not present in this iteration of the “for”    loop.-   playback_length_in_seconds—This 20-bit unsigned integer quantity    shall specify the duration of playback of the content, in seconds.    For content consisting only of text and/or still images, the value    zero shall be used. For content that includes audio or audio/video    content, the playback_length_in_seconds shall indicate the playback    length of the audio or audio/video content.-   content_length—When present, this 40-bit unsigned integer quantity    shall represent the total size in bytes of the content item or    items. This item is used by the receiving device to determine if    enough memory is available to store it before downloading is    attempted. The content_length field shall be present when    content_length_included is set to ‘1’ and absent otherwise. When    content_length is not present in a given iteration of the “for”    loop, the length of the content described in that iteration shall be    the value specified in the default_content_length field in the    NRT_service_info_descriptor( ) if present in the SMT.-   playback_delay_included—This Boolean flag shall indicate, when set    to ‘1,’ that the playback_delay field is present in this iteration    of the “for” loop. Setting this flag to ‘0’ shall indicate the    playback_delay field is not present in this iteration of the “for”    loop.-   duration—This 12-bit unsigned integer field in the range 1 to 2880    shall specify the expected cycle time, in minutes, of the carousel    containing the referenced content item. A receiver is expected to    use the duration parameter to determine the amount of time needed to    capture the referenced content.-   playback_delay—A 20-bit unsigned integer count of the number of    seconds following reception of the first byte of the associated    content the receiver shall wait before playback may start, while    buffering the incoming stream. A value of zero shall indicate    playback may commence immediately. When playback_delay is not    provided, the receiver is expected to retrieve the complete file or    file set prior to playback.-   expiration_included—This Boolean flag shall indicate, when set to    ‘1,’ that the expiration field is present in this iteration of the    “for” loop. Setting this flag to ‘0’ shall indicate the expiration    field is not present in this iteration of the “for” loop.-   expiration—This 32-bit unsigned integer shall represent the    expiration time of the content, expressed as the number of GPS    seconds since 00:00:00 UTC, Jan. 6, 1980. Following expiration, the    content should be deleted from memory. If an expiration time is not    specified, receivers are expected to use methods of their own    choosing to manage memory resources.-   content_name_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer field shall specify    the length (in bytes) of the content_name_text( ).-   content_name_text( )—This field shall specify the content item title    in the format of a multiple string structure (see A/65 Section    6.10).-   content_descriptors_length—This 12-bit unsigned integer field shall    indicate the total length (in bytes) of the content item descriptor    list that follows.-   content_descriptor( )—One or more descriptors may be included in the    NRT-IT in an iteration of the content item “for” loop. Table 2 lists    some content-level descriptors usable in the NRT-IT. Normative    requirements and usage rules are given in the referenced sections,    where appropriate.

TABLE 2 Content-Level Descriptors in the Non-Real-Time InformationTable(Informative) Descriptor Name Descriptor Tag Reference andDescription Time slot descriptor TBD Sec. 1.4. Provides the time(s) theassociated content is scheduled to be made available in the digitaltransport. Required. Media type descriptor TBD Sec. TBD Lists the Mediatypes of those formats and encodings for which receiver support isessential for a meaningful presentation of the service. Internetlocation descriptor TBD Sec. 1.5. Provides optional URLs forInternet-based access to the content. ISO-639 language 0x0A ISO/IEC13818-1 Sec. 2.6.18. If present, indicates the descriptor language ofaudio and/or textual components of the service. Content labeling 0x24A/57 and ISO/IEC 13818-1 Sec. 2.6.56. Associates the descriptor contentwith content labeling metadata. Use of ISAN is strongly recommended forcontent containing audio/video components. MPEG-2 AAC audio 0x2B ISO/IEC13818-1 Sec. 2.6.68. Provides information descriptor pertaining to theaudio portion of the content. Caption service descriptor 0x86 A/65 Sec.6.9.2. Provides caption service information pertinent to the contentobject(s). Content advisory 0x87 A/65 Sec. 6.9.3. Provides contentadvisory information descriptor pertinent to the content object(s).Genre descriptor 0xAB A/65, Sec. 6.9.13. Indicates the Genre categoryassociated with the content object(s). ATSC private information 0xADA/53 Part 3 Sec. 6.8.4. Usable for private information descriptorassociated with the content object(s). M/H component descriptor 0xBCA/153 Part 3 Sec. 7.8.1. The following component types are applicablefor NRT-IT use: component type Meaning 35 H.264/AVC video stream 36 SVCenhancement layer stream 37 HE AAC v2 audio stream 39 STKM streamcomponent 40 LTKM stream component

-   descriptors_length—A 10-bit unsigned integer number that indicates    the number of bytes of descriptors (if any) to follow.-   descriptor( )—A data structure in standard descriptor format (tag,    length, data) that provides information about the NRT content    described in this NRT_information_table_section( ). No descriptors    of this type are currently defined.

1.2 Icon Descriptor

The Icon Descriptor provides the media format and a reference to a filein the service's FLUTE session of an image file that can be used as aicon. The bit stream syntax of the Icon Descriptor shall be as shown inTable 3.

TABLE 3 Bit Stream Syntax for the Icon Descriptor No. of Syntax BitsFormat icon_descriptor( ) {  descriptor_tag 8 0xTBD  descriptor_length 8uimsbf  Reserved 4 ‘1111’  icon_media_type 4 uimsbf  icon_content_id 16uimsbf  for (i=0; i<N; i++) {    Reserved 8 bslbf  } }

-   descriptor_tag—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall have the value    0xTBD, identifying this descriptor as a icon_descriptor( )-   descriptor_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    length (in bytes) immediately following this field up to the end of    this descriptor.-   icon_media_type—This 4-bit unsigned integer shall specify the image    media type of the icon encoded as in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Icon Media Type Encoding icon_media_type Meaning 0x0 Reserved0x01 image/jpeg 0x02 image/png 0x03-0x0F Reserved for future ATSC use

-   icon_content_id—This 16-bit unsigned integer field shall reference    the content-id attribute of a file in the FLUTE FDT associated with    either the content or the service.

1.3 NRT Service Information Descriptor

The NRT Service Information Descriptor provides additional service-levelmetadata pertaining to NRT services. The bit stream syntax of the NRTService Information Descriptor shall be as shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Bit Stream Syntax for the NRT Service Information Descriptor No.of Syntax Bits Format NRT_service_info_descriptor( ) {  descriptor_tag 80xTBD  descriptor_length 8 uimsbf  storage_reservation 24 uimsbf Subscribe 1 bslbf  default_content_length_present 1 bslbf  Reserved 6‘111111’  if (default_content_length_present==1) {   default_content_length 32 uimsbf  }  for (i=0; i<N; i++) {   Reserved 8 bslbf  } }

-   descriptor_tag—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall have the value    0xTBD, identifying this descriptor as a NRT_service_info_descriptor(    ).-   descriptor_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    length (in bytes) immediately following this field up to the end of    this descriptor.-   storage_reservation—This 24-bit unsigned integer field shall    indicate the recommended minimum number of kilobytes (one kilobyte    equals 1024 bytes) of storage required in the receiver for    successful handling of content delivered within this NRT service.-   subscribe—This Boolean flag shall specify, when set to ‘1’ that the    option to subscribe to the service should be offered to the user.    When the flag is set to ‘0,’ no recommendation is given regarding    the option to subscribe. The receiver is expected to pre-load    content for those services for which the user has expressed an    ongoing interest by agreeing to subscribe.-   default_content_length_present—This Boolean flag shall indicate,    when set to ‘1’ that the default_content_length field is present in    the descriptor. When the flag is set to ‘0’ the    default_content_length shall not be present.-   default_content_length—This 32-bit unsigned integer field shall    indicate the length of any piece of content in the “for” loop to    follow in which the corresponding content_length field is not    present (content_length_included is set to ‘0’).

1.4 Time Slot Descriptor

The Time Slot Descriptor encodes a time interval or set of repeatingtime intervals. One or more time_slot_descriptor( )s shall be present ineach content-level descriptor loop in the NRT_information_table_section(). The bit stream syntax of the Time Slot Descriptor shall be as shownin Table 6.

TABLE 6 Bit Stream Syntax for the Time Slot Descriptor No. of SyntaxBits Format time_slot_descriptor( ) {  descriptor_tag 8 0xTBD descriptor_length 8 uimsbf  time_slot_start 32 uimsbf  Repeating 1bslbf  time_slot_length 15 uimsbf  if (repeating==’1’) {   repeat_period 16 uimsbf    slot_count 8 uimsbf  }  for (i=0; i<N;i++) {    reserved 8 bslbf  } }

-   descriptor_tag—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall have the value    0xTBD, identifying this descriptor as a time_slot_descriptor( )-   descriptor_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    length (in bytes) immediately following this field up to the end of    this descriptor.-   time_slot_start—This 32-bit unsigned integer shall represent the    start time of the time slot(s) as the number of GPS seconds since    00:00:00 UTC, Jan. 6, 1980. A value of zero for time_slot_start    shall indicate the time slot began in the indefinite past.-   repeating—A 1-bit Boolean flag that shall indicate, when set, that    the repeat_interval and repeat_count fields are present in the    descriptor, e.g. a repeating time slot is specified. A value of ‘0’    shall indicate the repeat_period and slot_count fields are not    present. If the value of time_slot_start is zero, the repeating flag    shall be set to ‘0.’-   time_slot_length—This 15-bit unsigned integer shall represent length    of the time slot in minutes.-   repeat_period—This 16-bit unsigned integer shall represent the    period of repetition of the time slot.

The relationships between time_slot_start, time_slot_length, andrepeat_period are diagrammed in FIG. 4. In the example, the time slotappears three times.

-   slot_count—This 8-bit unsigned integer in the range 0 to 255 shall    indicate the number of times the time slot will occur, starting at    the time slot beginning at time_slot_start. A value of zero for    slot_count shall indicate the repetition shall be assumed to    continue indefinitely.

1.5 Internet Location Descriptor

The Internet Location Descriptor provides one or more Uniform ReferenceLocators (URLs) referencing content items that may be retrieved via theInternet.

The bit stream syntax for the Internet Location Descriptor shall be asshown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 Bit Stream Syntax for the Internet Location Descriptor No. ofSyntax Bits Format internet_location_descriptor( ) {  descriptor_tag 80xTBD  descriptor_length 8 uimsbf  Reserved 3 ‘111’  URL_count 5 uimsbf for (i=0; i<URL_count; i++) {    URL_length 8 uimsbf    URL( ) var  } for (j=0; j< N; j++) {    Reserved 8 bslbf  } }

-   descriptor_tag—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall have the value    0xTBD, identifying this descriptor as an    internet_location_descriptor( ).-   descriptor_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    length (in bytes) immediately following this field up to the end of    this descriptor.-   URL_count—This 5-bit unsigned integer field shall indicate the    number of URL references (URL_length/URL( ) pairs) in this instance    of the descriptor.-   URL_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the length in    bytes of the URL to follow.-   URL( )—This field is a character string which represents the Uniform    Reference Locator per RFC 3986, of a piece of referenced content.    The URI scheme shall be either http: or https:.

1.6 NRT Service Descriptor

The NRT Service Descriptor is used to indicate the presence of NRTcomponents within a service, and indicates the usage/consumption modelfor a non-real-time service.

Whenever a service contains NRT components, one instance of an NRTService Descriptor shall be included in the SMT as anMH_service_level_descriptor( ).

The bit stream syntax for the NRT Service Descriptor shall be as shownin TABLE 8.

TABLE 8 Bit Stream Syntax for the NRT Service Descriptor No. of SyntaxBits Format NRT_service_descriptor( ) {  descriptor_tag 8 0xTBD descriptor_length 8 uimsbf  Reserved 3 ‘11’  NRT_service_category 6uimsbf  for (j=0; j< N; j++) {    Reserved 8 bslbf  } }

-   descriptor_tag—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall have the value    0xTBD, identifying this descriptor as an NRT_service_descriptor( )-   descriptor_length—This 8-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    length (in bytes) immediately following this field up to the end of    this descriptor.-   NRT_service_category—This 6-bit unsigned integer shall specify the    consumption model for the NRT service associated with the    descriptor. A variety of user experiences are possible for NRT    services. NRT Service Categories shall be as defined in TABLE 9    below. Note: other types of NRT services may be defined in future    ATSC standards.

TABLE 9 NRT Service Category NRT_service_category Meaning 0x00Forbidden. 0x01 Browse & Download - The NRT service describes contentthat can be selected for later download. 0x02 Portal - The NRT serviceprovides an experience similar to a web browser access. Files needed tosupport text/graphics rendering are available in the associated FLUTEsession. 0x03 Push - The NRT service offers subscription-based content.Receivers are expected to offer the user a choice whether or not tosubscribe to the service. For subscribed services, the receiver cachesand service-related content and updates files as new versions are madeavailable. When the user returns to a subscribed Push service, contentthat had been pre-loaded is displayed. 0x04-0x3F Reserved for futureATSC use.

1.7 Text Fragment Table (TFT)

The Text Fragment Table (TFT) contains text fragments used to providedetailed descriptions of content items or services. The TFT carries adata structure supporting multiple languages and thus, it may representdescriptions in several different languages (each string correspondingto one language).

The Text Fragment Table is carried in private sections with table_idvalue TBD and obeys the syntax and semantics given below. Eachdescription is distinguished by its unique 32-bit TFT_id.

The TFT section shall be carried in IP packets within the ServiceSignaling Channel, which has been assigned by IANA to multicast IPaddress 224.0.23.60, port 4937.

The following constraints apply to the IP packets carrying the TFTsections.

-   -   TBD

Unless otherwise defined below, identically-named fields in thetext_fragment_table_section( ) shall be as defined as in theMH_service_signaling_table_section( ) defined in A/153 Part 3, Sec.7, 1. The bit stream syntax for the Text Fragment Table shall be asshown in TABLE 10.

TABLE 10 Bit Stream Syntax for the Text Fragment Table No. Syntax BitsFormat text_fragment_table_section( ) {  table_id 8 0xTBD section_syntax_indicator 1 ‘1’  private_indicator 1 ‘1’  Reserved 2‘11’  section_length 12 uimsbf  service_id 16 uimsbf  Reserved 2 ‘11’ TFT_version_number 5 uimsbf  current_next_indicator 1 ‘1’ section_number 8 uimsbf  last_section_number 8 uimsbf  protocol_version8 uimsbf  time_span_start 32 uimsbf  Reserved 5 ‘11111’ time_span_length 11 uimsbf  num_fragments_in_section 8 uimsbf  for(j=0; j< num_fragments_in_section; j++) {    TF_id 16 uimsbf   text_length 16 uimsbf    text_fragment( ) var  } }

-   table_id—This 8-bit field shall be set to 0xTBD to identify this    table section as belonging to the Text Fragment Table.-   section_length—This 12-bit unsigned integer field shall specifies    the number of remaining bytes this table section immediately    following this field. The value in this field shall not exceed 4093    (0xFFD).-   service_id—This 16-bit field shall specify the service_id associated    with the service offering text fragments transported in this table    section.-   TF_version_number—This 5-bit field shall indicate the version number    of this TFT instance, where TFT instance is defined as the set of    one or more text_fragment_table_section( ) having common values for    service_id, current_next_indicator, protocol_version, and    time_span_start. The version number shall be incremented by 1 modulo    32 when any field in the TFT instance changes.-   current_next_indicator—This 1-bit indicator shall always be set to    ‘1’ for TFT sections; the TFT sent is always currently applicable.-   protocol_version—This 8-bit unsigned integer field shall be set to    zero. The function of protocol_version is to allow, in the future,    this table type to carry parameters that may be structured    differently than those defined in the current protocol. At present,    the only valid value for protocol_version is zero. Non-zero values    of protocol_version may be used by a future version of this standard    to indicate structurally different tables.-   time_span_start—This 32-bit unsigned integer shall represent the    start of the time span covered by this instance of the TFT,    expressed as the number of GPS seconds since 00:00:00 UTC, Jan.    6, 1980. The time of day of time_span_start shall be aligned to    minute 00 of the hour. The value zero for time_span_start shall    indicate the time period covered by his TFT instance began in the    indefinite past. The value of time_span_start shall be the same for    each section of a multi-sectioned TFT instance. The values of    time_span_start and time_span length shall be set such that the    specified time span does not overlap with any other TFT instance in    this IP subnet. For Service Type 0x08 (NRT Services),    time_span_start and time_span_length in a given TFT instance shall    exactly align with equal values in the corresponding NRT-IT    instance.-   time_span_length—This 11-bit unsigned integer field in the range 0    to 1440 shall indicate the number of minutes, starting at the time    indicated by time_span_start, covered by this instance of the TFT.    Once established, the value of time_span length for a given value of    time_span_start shall not change. A value of time_span_length of    zero shall mean this TFT instance covers all time starting at    time_span_start into the indefinite future. If the value of    time_span_start is zero, time_span_length shall have no meaning. The    value of time_span_length shall be the same for each section of a    multi-sectioned TFT instance. The values of time_span_start and    time_span_length shall be set such that the specified time span does    not overlap with any other TFT instance in this IP subnet. For    Service Type 0x08 (NRT Services), time_span_start and    time_span_length in a given TFT instance shall exactly align with    equal values in the corresponding NRT-IT instance.-   num_fragments_in_section—This 8-bit unsigned integer field shall    indicate the number of text fragments described in this TFT section.-   TF_id—This 16-bit unsigned integer shall uniquely identify a given    text fragment in the context of the service identified by    service_id. For Service Type 0x08 (NRT Services), this identifier    shall be equal to content_id. The TF_id value 0x0000 shall indicate    the text fragment describes the service identified by service_id.-   text_length—This 16-bit unsigned integer field shall indicate the    length in bytes of the text_fragment( ) field to follow.-   text_fragment( )—The text fragment formatted as an    ATSC_MH_multiple_string_structure( ) as defined in A/153 Part 3,    Sec, 7.9.

What is claimed is:
 1. A digital television receiver that receivesnon-real time (NRT) program content, comprising in combination: a radiofrequency tuner that receives a radio frequency modulated channelcontaining a transport stream over a tuned channel and demodulates thechannel to produce an output transport stream; the output transportstream containing an Internet Protocol (IP) stream of packets containingnon-real time program content, a FLUTE file description table (FDT) andNRT metadata; a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the IP stream ofpackets to produce: NRT program content, the FLUTE FDT, and NRTmetadata; an FDT parser that parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadatafrom the FLUTE FDT; and an NRT metadata parser that produces NRT servicemetadata, NRT program content description text and NRT content metadata.2. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, wherein a service signalingchannel contains the NRT metadata.
 3. The NRT receiver according toclaim 1, wherein the NRT service metadata is received in a Service MapTable.
 4. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, wherein the NRT programcontent description text is received in a Text Fragment Table (TFT). 5.The NRT receiver according to claim 1, wherein the NRT program contentmetadata is stored in an NRT information table (NRT-IT).
 6. The NRTreceiver according to claim 1, wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT program content.
 7. The NRT receiver according toclaim 1, wherein the NRT service metadata is stored in a Service MapTable (SMT), the NRT program content metadata is stored in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT), and wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT content.
 8. The NRT receiver according to claim 7,wherein the SMT signals an IP destination address and Port number thatpoints to the FLUTE FDT, and wherein the SMT has a service ID (SID) thatindexes a table entry pointing at a matching service ID in the NRT-IT.9. The NRT receiver according to claim 7, wherein the NRT-IT table has acontent ID that indexes table entries in the FLUTE FDT.
 10. The NRTreceiver according to claim 9, wherein the NRT-IT table further includesentries in the TFT.
 11. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, whereinthe NRT-IT table includes a Playback Delay parameter that indicates anamount of time from the recovery of the first byte of the file thereceiver should wait prior to beginning playback of the program content.12. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, wherein the NRT-IT tableincludes a flag indicating whether or not the NRT file can be extractedfrom the broadcast stream with lower-latency or whether the receivershould prompt the user to return to view it at a later time due tolonger latency, wherein lower and longer are measured with respect toone another.
 13. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, wherein theNRT-IT table points to a table that points to a graphical iconrepresentation of the NRT service or program content item.
 14. The NRTreceiver according to claim 1, wherein the NRT service metadata isstored in a Service Map Table.
 15. The NRT receiver according to claim14, wherein the NRT program content description text is stored in a TextFragment Table (TFT).
 16. The NRT receiver according to claim 1, whereinthe program content metadata comprises an indication that the identifiedcontent may be retrieved from an Internet-based server, and a UniformReference Locator (URL) that may be used to effect said retrieval.
 17. Adigital television receiver that receives non-real time (NRT) programcontent, comprising in combination: an Internet protocol (IP) receiverthat receives a stream of IP packets and selects an IP subnet containinga packet stream selected as an output packet stream; the output packetstream containing non-real time content, a FLUTE file description table(FDT) and NRT metadata; a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the IP packetstream to produce: NRT program content, the FLUTE FDT, and NRT metadata;an FDT parser that parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadata from theFLUTE FDT; and an NRT metadata parser that produces NRT service metadataand NRT program content metadata.
 18. The NRT receiver according toclaim 17, wherein a Service Signaling Channel (SSC) contains the NRTmetadata.
 19. The NRT receiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRTservice metadata is received in a Service Map Table.
 20. The NRTreceiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRT program contentdescription text is received in a Text Fragment Table (TFT).
 21. The NRTreceiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRT program content metadatais received in an NRT information table (NRT-IT).
 22. The NRT receiveraccording to claim 17, wherein the output transport stream furthercomprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCT contains aservice type code indicative of a virtual channel corresponding to NRTprogram content.
 23. The NRT receiver according to claim 17, wherein theNRT service metadata is received in a Service Map Table (SMT), the NRTprogram content description text is received in a Text Fragment Table(TFT), the NRT program content metadata is received in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT), and wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT program content.
 24. The NRT receiver according toclaim 23, wherein the SMT has an IP destination address and Port numberthat points to the FLUTE FDT, and wherein the SMT has a service ID (SID)that indexes a table entry pointing at a service ID in the NRT-IT. 25.The NRT receiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRT-IT table has aprogram content ID that indexes table entries in the FLUTE FDT.
 26. TheNRT receiver according to claim 25, wherein the NRT-IT table furtherincludes entries in the TFT.
 27. The NRT receiver according to claim 17,wherein the NRT-IT table includes a Playback Delay parameter thatindicates an amount of time from the recovery of the first byte of thefile the receiver should wait prior to beginning playback of the programcontent.
 28. The NRT receiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRT-ITtable includes a flag indicating whether or not the NRT file can beextracted from the broadcast stream with lower-latency or whether thereceiver should prompt the user to return to view it at a later time dueto longer latency, wherein lower and longer are measured with respect toone another.
 29. The NRT receiver according to claim 17, wherein theNRT-IT table points to a table that points to a graphical iconrepresentation of the NRT service or program content item.
 30. The NRTreceiver according to claim 17, wherein the NRT service metadata isstored in a Service Map Table.
 31. The NRT receiver according to claim30, wherein the NRT program content description text is stored in a TextFragment Table (TFT).
 32. The NRT receiver according to claim 17,wherein the program content metadata comprises an indication that theidentified program content may be retrieved from an Internet-basedserver, and a Uniform Reference Locator (URL) that may be used to effectsaid retrieval.
 33. A digital television receiver that receives non-realtime (NRT) program content, comprising in combination: a receiver devicethat receives a signal and produces an output transport stream, theoutput transport stream containing an Internet Protocol (IP) stream ofpackets containing non-real time content, a FLUTE file description table(FDT) and NRT metadata; a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the IP streamof packets to produce: NRT program content, the FLUTE FDT, and NRTmetadata; an FDT parser that parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadatafrom the FLUTE FDT; and an NRT metadata parser that produces NRT servicemetadata; NRT program content description text and NRT program ContentMetadata.
 34. A digital television receiver that receives non-real time(NRT) program content, comprising in combination: a radio frequencytuner that receives a radio frequency modulated channel containing atransport stream and demodulates the channel to produce an outputtransport stream; the output transport stream containing an InternetProtocol (IP) stream of packets containing non-real time programcontent, a FLUTE file description table (FDT), NRT service metadata andNRT content metadata; a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the IP streamof packets to produce: NRT program content, the FLUTE FDT, NRT servicemetadata, and NRT program content metadata; an FDT parser that parsesthe FDT to produce NRT file metadata from the FLUTE FDT; an NRT metadataparser that produces NRT service metadata, NRT program contentdescription text and NRT program content metadata; where the NRTmetadata parser further processes NRT program content metadata derivedfrom an NRT information table (NRT-IT).
 35. The digital televisionreceiver according to claim 34, wherein the NRT program content metadatais received in a Non-Real-Time Information Table (NRT-IT).
 36. Thedigital television receiver according to claim 34, wherein the NRTprogram content metadata is stored in an NRT information table (NRT-IT),the NRT program content description text is stored in a Text FragmentTable (TFT), wherein the transport stream further comprises a virtualchannel table (VCT), and wherein the VCT contains a service type codeindicative of a virtual channel corresponding to NRT program content.37. The digital television receiver according to claim 34, wherein theNRT-IT table has a linkage element that references entries in a TextFragment Table (TFT).
 38. The digital television receiver according toclaim 34, wherein the NRT program content metadata is stored in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT), and wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT program content.
 39. The digital televisionreceiver according to claim 35, wherein the NRT-IT points to a filecontaining a graphical icon representation of the NRT program contentitem.
 40. A digital television receiver that receives non-real time(NRT) program content, comprising in combination: an Internet protocol(IP) receiver that receives a stream of IP packets and selects an IPsubnet containing a packet stream selected as an output packet stream;the output packet stream containing non-real time program content, aFLUTE file description table (FDT), NRT service metadata and NRT contentmetadata; an electronic storage medium; a demultiplexer thatdemultiplexes the IP packet stream to produce: NRT program content, theFLUTE FDT, NRT service metadata, and NRT program content metadata; andan NRT metadata parser that produces NRT service metadata and NRTprogram content metadata; where the NRT metadata parser furtherprocesses NRT program content metadata derived from an NRT informationtable (NRT-IT).
 41. The digital television receiver according to claim40, wherein the NRT program content metadata is stored in aNon-Real-Time Information Table (NRT-IT).
 42. The digital televisionreceiver according to claim 40, wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT program content.
 43. The digital televisionreceiver according to claim 40, wherein the NRT-IT table has a linkageelement that references entries in a Text Fragment Table (TFT).
 44. Thedigital television receiver according to claim 40, wherein the NRTprogram content description text is received in a Text Fragment Table(TFT), the NRT program content metadata is received in an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT), and wherein the output transport streamfurther comprises a virtual channel table (VCT), and wherein the VCTcontains a service type code indicative of a virtual channelcorresponding to NRT program content.
 45. The digital televisionreceiver according to claim 40, wherein the NRT-IT table references afile containing a graphical icon representation of the NRT content item.46. A digital television receiver that receives non-real time (NRT)program content, comprising in combination: a receiver device thatreceives a signal and produces an output transport stream, the outputtransport stream containing an Internet Protocol (IP) stream of packetscontaining non-real time content, a FLUTE file description table (FDT),NRT service and NRT program content metadata; a demultiplexer thatdemultiplexes the IP stream of packets to produce: NRT program content,the FLUTE FDT, NRT service metadata, and NRT program content metadata;an FDT parser that parses the FDT to produce NRT file metadata from theFLUTE FDT; an NRT metadata parser that produces NRT service metadata,NRT program content description text and NRT program content metadata,wherein the NRT program content metadata is received within an NRTinformation table (NRT-IT).